Views From Kennewick

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Who Are CAIR's Paymasters?

Investor's Business Daily asks the much-needed questions -- ones that all the talking heads should be asking, but that both the liberal establishment media and the weak-kneed pseudo-conservatives are afraid to ask.

Islamofascism: Recent tax filings reveal an Islamist group that claims to speak for millions of Muslims in America actually boasts just 1,700 members. So whose interests does it really represent?

There's been surprisingly little transparency about the financing of the top Muslim lobby in Washington — the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Until recently, few in the media have bothered to investigate.

Since spinning off from Hamas front group Islamic Association for Palestine in 1994, CAIR has maintained it's a "grass-roots organization" — a "Muslim NAACP" — supported by members who pay dues. It repeatedly has denied receiving foreign funding.

[...]

Tax records show the group is relying on some two dozen deep-pocketed donors for support. Who are they? We don't know. By law, CAIR doesn't have to publicly disclose them, and they're blacked out on IRS disclosure forms.

But land records unearthed by Paul Sperry, author of "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington," show that exactly one year after 9/11 — as its dues were drying up — CAIR signed over the deed to its Washington headquarters to a United Arab Emirates-based foundation headed by the ruler of Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed Al-Maktoum's foundation put up almost $1 million for the property, and recently pledged $50 million more to help CAIR build larger headquarters, replenish its legal war chest and fund a nationwide pro-Islam propaganda campaign.

The New York Times earlier this year confirmed that "wealthy Persian Gulf governments" — including the UAE and Saudi Arabia — were backing CAIR. "CAIR has raised some suspicion by accepting large donations from individuals or foundations closely identified with Arab governments," the story said.

We also know from federal court records that CAIR received startup cash from the Holy Land Foundation, which the government has shut down as another Hamas front. Several of its founders — including a senior CAIR official — go on trial next month in Texas for allegedly funneling millions to Hamas for suicide-bomb operations.

U.S. prosecutors have named CAIR as "unindicted co-conspirators" in the terror case.

[...]

The mainstream media, which regularly book CAIR spokesmen to claim to argue the point of view of Muslims, and weak-kneed pols, who let CAIR mau-mau them into reserving rooms in the Capitol to hold court, have been totally hoodwinked by these charlatans. They need to wake up to the facts about this foreign front group.

The days of legitimizing and mainstreaming CAIR — now an official unindicted co-conspirator in a major terror case — must end before it can lobby against one more antiterror measure, boycott one more airline for protecting passengers from suspicious Muslim men, or sue one more John Doe tipster who could save hundreds of lives.

If you oppose the Arab Boycott of Israel; If you oppose Holocaust deniers; If you oppose conspiracy theories that America perpetrated 9/11 along with the CIA and the Mossad and the Jews . . .

THEN, DON'T SHOP AT BARNEY'S OR LOEHMANN'S.

Today's Wall Street Journal finance section reports that Dubai's government investment arm, Istithmar, is finalizing a purchase of Barney's New York, the luxury goods retailer that was founded by Jews and has locations nationwide. The paper also notes that Loehmann's, the designer clothing discounter also founded by Jews, is partially owned by Istithmar. As I've noted before, Loehmann's was previously owned by Arcapita a/k/a First Islamic Investment Bank (the Saudi-owned, Bahraini-based extremist investment company which owns Caribou Coffee and about which I've written extensively).

As I've noted on this site so many times, Dubai practices anti-Semitic apartheid. It officially and openly engages in the Arab Boycott of Israel. Israelis, those with a stamp from Israel on their passport, and most Jews cannot enter Dubai. And the governments of Dubai and its confederation--the United Arab Emirates--have openly sponsored speeches and books by Holocaust deniers and those who endorse anti-Semitic and anti-American conspiracy theories.

Just say no to Islamist hate. Just say not to anti-Semitic, anti-Israel, and anti-American hate.

And just say no to Barney's and Loehmann's.

Not that most of my readers shop at Barney's anyway. I mean, who wants to spend $400 on a designer T-shirt? But Loehmann's--which features a lot of designer bargains--should now be off-limits to your pocketbook.

What ever happened to the good old days . . . when the Japanese owned everything (including Barney's)?

* Uh, what does "Barack me tonight" mean? Just curious. Does Michelle Obama--and more important, the Secret Service detail--know about this woman? What would it mean if she sang, "You can Hussein me tonight?" (Beatings, rape, and torture, likely.)

So who paid for this, and how much did they pay? Yes, how much did Daddy Kauffman pay for this, and was it listed--as required--as an in-kind contribution to B. Hussein Obama's campaign? Sure looks like it exceeds the $3,400 federal limit.

* So, can we look forward to Republicans doing this? Thankfully, no. Somehow, I don't think the "Sluts for McCain" or "Sluts for Giuliani" tack would work.

Methinks Ms. Kauffman and her Daddy forgot about the gender gap--that women are the ones pushing Hillary to the top of Democratic polls. This video--complete with B. Hussein Obama Blow-Up Doll--ain't gonna help change that.

Thanks to my friends, New York's WABC-AM morning host (and Guardian Angels Founder) Curtis Sliwa and his producer Frank Morano, for the tip (they had me on the show, this morning to discuss this video).

June 13, 2007

What Do These Countries Have in Common? . . .

2) They were all just added to the State Department annual human-trafficking blacklist. (Nations on the list are subject to sanctions for not doing enough to stop the yearly flow of people, most of them (80%) female and up to half of them children, across international borders for the sex trade and other forms of forced indentured labor.)

Coincidence between 1 & 2? Uh, no. North Korea, Cuba, and Equatorial Guinea (which has its share of Muslims) are also on the list.

A tiny island nation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has come to the defense of the State of Israel yet again over the recent boycott of its academics by the British University and College Union. The Union of Micronesian Academics, which consists of three members - two in "Iron Crafting," and one in "Irrigation Sciences," claim that the British Boycott is counter-productive.

"Israeli academics have been at the forefront, making discoveries in medicine, environmental sciences, and computer technologies," said union representative Samik Lenosid. "And what have the British given us? Besides for Monty Python and Mr. Bean, I am not sure. For that, we are boycotting the British."

The Micronesians are not alone in voicing criticism about the British boycott. Israel is even receiving support from the most unlikely of places. Sari Nusseibeh, president of the Palestinian al-Quds University located in East Jerusalem said, "Israeli Academics have been amongst the most progressive and peace minded people around the world. Boycotting these people would be counter to the principles of academic freedom and hurt the cause of peace in the Middle East."

British University and College Union head Paul Mackney responded, "Palestinian academics do not know what they want. This boycott is really quite good for them." To which Mr. Nusseibeh retorted, "No it's not." Mackney was reported to have responded, "Yes it is."

Micronesia's support for the Jewish state is not new. They consider themselves stalwart supporters, rarely voting against Israel in the United Nations. When asked why, Micronesian Vice President Alik L. Alik explained, "Israel is the only free and open democracy in a sea of totalitarian neighbors, yet they still manage to lead the world in so many crucial endeavors. That and we love the mud from the Dead Sea. It keeps our skin very smooth."

"That and we love the mud from the Dead Sea. It keeps our skin very smooth."

Micronesia doesn't just vote with Israel on the United Nations floor, they are also known to stand up for the Holy Land in the sub-committee groups where much of the anti-Israel rhetoric takes place. Reportedly, after hearing Libya and Uzbekistan speak derogatorily about Israel, Micronesia piped up and said, "Oh no you didn't! I know you didn't just say that about Israel, because if you did, you'd be getting a whole lot of Micronesian hurt coming your way and I know you don't want that."

When asked what their end goal was, the Micronesians in charge of the boycott boycott responded, "We would like the nations of the world to follow our lead and choose at least one nation to boycott. If we are lucky, in no time at all we will all be boycotting each other, and within a few years, academic research will only be done on Wikipedia."

CAIR membership plummets

Membership in the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has declined more than 90 percent since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Audrey Hudson will report in Tuesday's editions of The Washington Times.

According to tax documents obtained by The Times, the number of reported members spiraled down from more than 29,000 in 2000 to less than 1,700 in 2006, a loss of membership that caused the Muslim rights group's annual income from dues to drop from $732,765 in 2000, when yearly dues cost $25, to $58,750 last year, when the group charged $35.

The organization instead is relying on about two dozen individual donors a year to contribute the majority of the money for CAIR's budget, which reached nearly $3 million last year.

Asked about the decline, Parvez Ahmed, CAIR board chairman, pointed to the number of individual donors to the organization.

"We are proud that our grass-roots support in the American Muslim community has allowed CAIR to grow from having eight chapters and offices in 2001 to having 33 today," Mr. Ahmed said....

Critics of the organization say they are not surprised membership is sagging, and that a recent decision by the Justice Department to name CAIR as "unindicted co-conspirators" in a federal case against another foundation charged with providing funds to a terrorist group could discourage new members....

CAIR's declining and minuscule membership is good news, but really, the organization doesn't need members. All it needs is one guy in each chapter, a talking head with a phone in every major city, ready to feed the CAIR line to the local media. And the media types, of course, fall for that line every time.